He has been heavily linked with a move back to former club South Sydney Rabbitohs in the National Rugby League.
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Sam Burgess’ future remains the subject of speculation, with Leeds Rhinos keen to bring the England worldwide back to rugby league.
He returned to training at Farleigh House on Monday, had a meeting with Ford and club captain Stuart Hooper, and ha splayed a full part in training this week.
“Yes we expect Sam to stay”.
Burgess is just 12 months into a three-year contract at Bath but Hetherington says Leeds are willing and able to pay a transfer fee, especially after elite clubs voted this summer to introduce a marquee player rule into the salary-cap regulations to attract a higher calibre of player into Super League. Sam will be playing on Saturday. “He’s cracking on and rolling his sleeves up”, Ford said.
Burgess, 26, took time off to contemplate his future after criticism of his role in England’s World Cup campaign, before returning to Bath.
His union transition has been made harder by England’s insistence on using him as an inside centre while last season he played his best rugby for Bath at blindside flanker.
Upon completion of England 2015, he came off the bench in the Premiership opener against Exeter before Ford decided he was jaded and so gave him time off to gather his thoughts.
“He came to training and played the first game, but then he came to training on the Tuesday after and that’s when it hit him”.
“After the World Cup, it hits people in different ways”. He’s come in and cracked on and has trained very well for these couple of days.
“We are fully aware that he is contracted to Bath, but we are waiting in the wings if Bath allow him to speak to clubs”, he told BBC Sport.
When asked if Burgess had told him he wants to leave, Ford said: “No. We’ve had a good talk about everything, as we have had with all the World Cup players, asking what they want to do”.
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Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington has confirmed that his club is in interested in signing Sam Burgess, should the current rugby union player decide to return “home” to rugby league.
